National Met Services Partners with Small Farmers To Create Climate Information App

The Ministry of Economic Development also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Meteorological Service of Belize for the development of a climate information system. The system will provide key information to small farmers to advise their planning and minimize loss. Farmers will be able to access this data through a mobile application. Doctor Osmond Martinez, the C.E.O. at the Ministry of Economic Development gave further details.

Osmond Martinez

Osmond Martinez, C.E.O., Ministry of Economic Development

“I am excited because I am one of the, in one of my interviews I said we need to introduce science and technology to the agro-productive sector. Today, we are moving into science and also technology. Just like in hurricanes we need information, the agro-productive sector also needs information and to have climate related information in times of high impacts of climate change we are seeing in our nation and throughout the world, we will need to have all the necessary information to be more effective in terms of producing and to be able to produce what we consume, in other words food security. To move to an app, it is not only science and technology, but we are moving to the digital time, innovation time, and for farmers to be able to hold an app and receive first hand instant information, this is critical for our farmers.”

Ronald Gordon

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist, N.M.S.B.

“As I sit here with you, as representative from the National Meteorological Service and as such I must emphasize how significant this occasion is for this department. I believe it was about the year 2019 that Mr. Serano reached out to us at the National Meteorological Service indicating that there was a possibility we can collaborate on a project through the Resilient Rural Belize program. As a department that has always seeking avenues for collaboration with all our stakeholders but especially with agricultural sector, we were excited and became engaged in the process.”